Tastespotting.com and Me

I’ve been trying for a couple of months now to get tastespotting.com to accept one of my food photos. I read the manual for my 2 year old Pentax Optio S-12 point and shoot for the first time in it’s life, I researched tips on food photography, I bought a dedicated table for my shoots, Photoshop Elements 9, a tripod, numerous plates and dishes, pieces of cloth, place mats, a white canvas background and really cool glass bricks for 1 euro 50 a piece. I also rearranged my bedroom so that my dedicated table could be close to the window to get that “natural light”. Oh yeah, I turned off the automatic flash on the camera.

It does seem that I have made progress. My pictures are no longer rejected for sharpness, lighting or blur. But I still seem to have a composition problem.

My neighbor told me the other day that I didn’t have a “palate” when it comes to champagne, which I take to mean that I don’t have any taste. Could this be my food photography problem?

The last photo I submitted of a celery root came back with “not a compelling subject”.   Now I thought this was a good photograph in a sinister kind of way.

And there it is I guess, Je n’ai pas de palate.